Breaking News

Local Columns

Redistricting reform sought by frustrated organizations

With a number of organizations still angry about the Ohio Redistricting Commission’s approval of General Assembly maps, the effort to change how federal and state legislative districts took a step forward. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost approved summary petition language as “fair and truthful” for a constitutional amendment that would take the power to draw those districts away from politicians and give it to a 15-member citizens commission. The approval from Yost, a Republican, came after he twice rejected petition language from an organization called Citizens Not ...

Valley gets a single competitive district

When Democrats on the Ohio Redistricting Commission cut a deal with their Republican counterparts, the Mahoning Valley didn’t come into play. The seven-member commission unanimously voted in favor of state legislative maps that give Republicans 61 state House seats to 38 for Democrats with eight Democratic and three Republican toss-up districts. The compromise gave Democrats one more seat in the House than an initial Republican proposal did, but it keeps the GOP supermajority. Not much changed in the state Senate map proposed last week by Republicans. The GOP would still retain a ...

Language likely won’t impact abortion vote

Except for a minor tweak, the Ohio Supreme Court decided to keep ballot language for the reproductive rights constitutional amendment that will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot intact. But no matter what the court decided, many people are unlikely to read the ballot language before they vote or understand it. Voters know the proposal would make abortions accessible in Ohio if it passes. Also, we will be inundated with ads from both sides telling what they see as the impact of the constitutional amendment. There will be those swayed by what they read and see. Why else would there be a need ...

Gen Z could be a resource for the American mining industry

By 2030, Gen Z will be 30 percent of the American workforce. This tech-savvy generation has strong ideas about the places and cultures in which it wants to work. And one of the recurring opinions heard from Gen Zers is the longing to get out from behind the desk, to find a place where collaboration is key and where the work is impactful. Gen Z, here’s an idea for you: American mining. Mining needs you. Mining needs your skillset and energy, and it may be exactly what you’re looking for, even if you don’t yet realize it. The opportunity is extraordinary. By 2029, with a tsunami ...

State redistricting to resume on Wednesday

The Ohio Redistricting Commission will meet Wednesday for the first time in more than a year to work on state legislative maps with little time to finalize. It’s the latest in a series of moves to get federal and state legislative maps in place for the 2024 election. The federal map used last year, despite being ruled unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court, will remain for the 2024 election. (More on that below.) With a Dec. 20 filing deadline for candidates running in the March 19, 2024, primary, there isn’t much time to resolve the state legislative issues. The Ohio Supreme ...

Abortion issue goes back to Ohio Supreme Court

The abortion rights constitutional amendment is heading back to the Ohio Supreme Court — this time over the summary language that voters will see on the Nov. 7 ballot. The Ohio Ballot Board recently approved language for the amendment that supporters of the proposal say is misleading. Opponents of the abortion rights ballot issue say the summary language from the ballot board is more accurate than what pro-choice supporters propose. The board consists of five members: two Republican state legislators, two Democratic state legislators and Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican ...